Ceramics

Cache took a ceramics class this past semester. While he didn't ever admit to liking it, he worked very hard and produced quite a few quality pieces. One of the first assignments was this lizard. It got a 92%.

That score worried him a bit (insert eye roll!) but motivated him to step it up. As you can see though, his work improved immensely. He started bringing clay home and sculpting on my kitchen counter. (basically mud smeared all over my counter) I can't say that I loved that part all that much. But I did enjoy him nearby and I enjoyed watching him work. (in the computer change-over, it appears that I have lost my sculpting process pictures. I will try to retrieve them and add them later). Here are the rest of his projects and a little description of the assignment he made them for.

Logo: This assignment was to roll out a slab of clay and carve a logo into it. (for nonfootball fans, it is WSU: Washington State Cougars)Slab Box: (which, as a bonus, is also a requirement for the pottery merit badge) You just had to cut 4 slabs of clay and make a box.Pinch Pot: This was not an assignment for his class but a requirement for the merit badge and Mr. Bryson was nice enough to let him use the class to meet a few merit badge requirements.Coil Bowl: You lined a bowl from the kitchen with oil and made coils then pressed them around the bowl. When it hardened a little, you removed it from the bowl. If the bowl held water after it was finished, you got extra credit. Cache probably made 5 different coil bowls before deciding he could live without the extra credit. (roll eyes again because extra credit would not have changed his grade.) This also met a merit badge requirement.Turtle Box: This was a very specific assignment--you had to make a ball, throw it on the table to flatten it a little then add a head and legs. Then you had to hollow it out and make a shell for the lid. Winged Shoes: The assignment was to make a wall hanging. It could be anything, but needed to have a hole in the back so it could hang. Cache didn't think that one shoe was enough to get a good grade so he made two. (you can roll your eyes on this too!) Free Sculpture: You could sculpt whatever you wanted. Since Cache loves all things Snoopy and Peanuts, this was a no-brainer. The front of the dog house has Snoopy's name carved above the door. Three part sculpture: The assignment was to make three things that go together. The next two photos make the set of three--the Woodstock is just so cute that I wanted a close up. Bust Sculpture: The assignment was to make a head of someone or something. This was a very difficult assignment just because Cache couldn't decide what to sculpt. Mr. Bryson didn't have any flesh colored glaze so it had to be something that wasn't flesh colored and every cartoon character we suggested was either too easy or too hard. Thankfully we finally came up with Marvin. (and that was after weeks of discussion!) One thing about working with clay is that it cannot be too thick or it explodes in the kiln--so everything has to be hollowed out. In order to do this brush and have it hollow it had to be two separate pieces. This ended up being very difficult because the clay shrinks when it dries and to get it to fit is very difficult. Cache probably made 6 different brushes to go on Marvin's head until he got it to fit. (the yellow part comes off and is just a little slab box) Free Sculpture: On the day Cache was supposed to get this Mr. Monopoly Guy back from firing and take him to show Mr. Bryson for a grade, he was missing. In inquiring about it, he was informed that the principal wanted him and taken him to his office. So Cache had to go to the office to talk to the principal. He found out that the principal wanted him for the school art collection and that only one piece in each art area is acquired each year. He would get $50 for the sale! Cache agreed, but knew he had to bring him home first for me to photograph. (don't tell the school that while at home, his arm broke off! Super glue and some model paint fixed him back up.)
Two-part-interlocking-sculpture: On this assignment you had to make two things that fit together (Marvin the Martian could have counted for this, but this was a later assignment). This totem pole is actually 3 pieces. Each part of the head come off of the base.Here is just a picture showing most of his pieces so you can get an idea of sizes. (the Woodstock is about 3"tall)And, by the way, Cache got 100% on the rest of his assignments. He also had time at the end to make one final extra credit project. It was using a mold and a different kind of clay. He got it done and glazed and on the day he was to turn it in, he saw a kid in the hall with it (that kid must have used it for his extra credit!) and when he went to class, his owl was gone. Oh well. So which sculpture do you think is Cache's favorite? And which one is your favorite?